Detachable wings for aircraft



3 F. H. PAGE. DE'EACHABLE WINGS FOR AIRCRAFT. AIPPLICATION FILEUJUNEZIB, 1919.

Patented Feb. 3,1920

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- F. H. PAGE.

DETACHABLE wmqs FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLlCATlON FILED JUNE23, I919.

Patented Feb. 3,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HANDLEY PAGE LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DETACHABLE WINGS FOR AIRCRAFT.

' Application filed June 23, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable I/Vings for Aircraft, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the assembling and attachment of the Wings to the fuselages of aeroplanes, and also in aeroplanes where the wings are to be folded back for storage purposes, to enable this folding operation to be effected with ease, both of these objects being attained without imparting unnecessary strains to the fuselages or to the wingstructures themselves.

Aeroplanes constructed according to this invention have their wings built and assembled separately from the fuselage, and at the junction of the wing spars with the fusela e or extensions thereon, hereinafter termed the fuselage-spars, the connections, instead of having movement in one plane only, are constructed of hinges having movement in two planes at right angles to each other so as to afford movement in two directions and are hereinafter referred to as double direction hinges. This also enables the forward spars to be disconnected from the fuselage, and the wings are then free to be moved backward in a plane parallel with the ground, and this folding operation can be performed without unnecessary straining of the structure.

Both forward and rear spars of the wings are connected to the fuselage by the double direction hinged connections before referred to. Considerable advantage is secured by this use of double direction hinges for attachment of the wings in position on the aircraft, because as the inner ends of the forward spars are approached for connection to the fuselage they are readily attached without danger. of straining the structure as would be the case where rigid connections, at these points had to be brought to coincide and in alinement.

In the drawings at Figure 1 the port side Wings are illustrated as having been separately constructed and braced together, and are connected to the fuselage at the juncture of their rear spars by double direction hinge connections at 1 and 2 which are described in detail later. In this case hinge Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

Serial No. 306,243.

1 would be connected first, the wing then being lifted and a connection made at the hinge 2. The wings would then be turned forward until the detachable portions of the hinges 3 and 4 coincided with the fixed portions 3 and -1 on the fuselage, where on the attachment being effected, the structure is completed ready for flying.

In Fig. '2 the same pair of win s is shown being connected to the fuselage by first attaching the hinges 1 and 3 and then by lifting the outer ends of the wings, the hinges 2 and 4 are caused to coincide and attachment at these points can then be effected.

It is obvious that it is desirable to have double direction hinges at each point of connection in order to avoid danger of straining the structure during the assem bling of the machine, but the points 3 and 4 may be connected together by hinged joints having movement in one direction only or by other simple forms of detachable connections. It Will also be seen that when the structure is partly assembled as at Fig. 1 the wings may be folded back into a more compact form to facilitate storage.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side elevation and plan of an example of a double direction hinge-joint employed for attachment of the wings to the fuselage in accordance with this invention.

To the fuselage-spar 5 are secured metal plates 6 having outstanding lugs 7 to receive bolts 8 which in turn support sockets 9, within which is fixed a tubular hinge-pin 10, being suitably keyed together by crosspins 20.

Between these sockets 9 and upon the tubular hinge-pin 10 is revolubly mounted a sleeve 11 formed with an outstanding lug 12 through which passes a pivot 13 at right angles to the tubular hinge-pin 10.

The wing-spar 14 is similarly provided with plates 15 with triangular projections 16 through which is passed the pivot-pin 13 before mentioned.

It will be seen, therefore, that in the construction of hinge above described, the hinge-pin 10 being held in a plane at right angles to the axis of the pivot-pin 13, a movement in two directions at right angles is allowed to the wing-spar 14 with respect to the fuselage-spar 5 and connection or disconnection may be readily efi'ected between the spars 5 and 14: by means of the extensions 16 and the pivot-pin 13.

As illustrated at Fig. 3 a considerable movement of the wing-spar in a horizontal plane and a more restricted movement in a vertical plane is provided for.

The sockets 9 are shown as having lugs 17 cast thereon, to which parts of the aeroplane may be connected, but if desired the ends of hinge-pin 10 may be left open and a separate member passed therethrough to form a connection between heavier parts such, for instance, as between the engine and the undercarriage,

The plates 6 and 15 extend along the faces of the spars in triangular form and are se cured thereto by means of bolts 18 or screws 19 or both, and said bolts and screws are preferably so disposed in relation to one another that the said bolts or screws, or the greater number thereof will not become lo cated in line with each other in the direction of the grain of the wood. Thus the tendency for the said bolts or screws to tear out or to crush aside the light fibrous structure of the wood is obviated and the shearing strain thereon greatly diminished, especially in the case of soft woods such as spruce, from which aircraft constructions are frequently made.

Although, as above described, the hingepin 10 and pivot 13 are both carried from the fuselage-spar 5, these parts may, if desired, be attached to the wing-spar 14, in which case the fuselage-spar 5 would have the plates L5 attached to its faces provided with forwardly extending lugs 16 for acconnnodating the pivot 13.

hat I claim as my invent-ion and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An aircraft comprising a fuselage, port and starboard wing-structures, hinges allowing movement in two planes at right angles connecting the front spars of the wing-structures with the fuselage, and hinges allowing movement in two planes at right angles connecting the rear spars with the fuselage.

2. An aircraft comprising a fuselage, port and starboard wing-structures, hinges allowing movement in two planes at right angles connecting the front and rear spars of the lower wing with the fuselage and coacting couplings connecting the front and rear spars of the upper wing with the fuse lage.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE.

Vitnesses:

Gmrrrrrr BREWER, CYRIL GRIFFITH BREWER. 

